After winning the first game, the University of North Florida baseball team lost their first-ever series vs. the West Georgia Wolves this past weekend. With those results, the Ospreys fell to 7-5 in Atlantic Sun (ASUN) conference play, placing them second in the Graphite division behind Stetson and tied with Jacksonville. Despite the stumble, the Ospreys remain firmly in the postseason hunt with several key series ahead.
Game 1
In the first-ever series between the two sides, the visitors scored first in the second inning, as Wolves catcher Hank Smith laced an RBI single to right field off of junior Osprey starting pitcher Will Ross. North Florida immediately responded in the bottom half of the inning, with the Wolves giving the Ospreys multiple runs on errors in the field. The mistakes allowed UNF to score three runs, giving the Ospreys a two-run lead.
The Ospreys added a fourth run in the fourth on an RBI single by sophomore shortstop Mitchell Collins that scored sophomore center fielder Nick Monile from third base. The Wolves retaliated in the top of the fifth, with an RBI double from Wolves first baseman Carter Dierdorf and an RBI single by third baseman Blake Bradford to draw West Georgia level at 4-4.
From there, the Ospreys took control. Senior designated hitter Jabin Bates homered on a 1-2 pitch to put North Florida permanently ahead in the sixth inning. The Ospreys added insurance, with senior outfielder Drew Leinenbach scoring Bates on a sacrifice fly in the seventh, and senior second baseman Connor Moore scoring Monile on an RBI groundout in the eighth to give North Florida a 7-4 lead.
On the pitching side, junior right-hander Clay Hendry stepped in to silence the Wolves’ bats. He settled in quickly, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing one walk and one hit, and striking out four West Georgia batters to earn his fourth win on the season. Osprey head coach Joe Mercadante handed the ball to Kaden Humphrey in the ninth, and the junior right-hander delivered once again, locking down his eighth save of the season, which is good for a spot among the nation’s top 10 in that category.
Game 2
West Georgia scored three runs in both the second and fifth innings to take the second game of the series by a final score of 9-3.
The Wolves started the scoring in the first with left fielder Brady McDevitt laying down a sacrifice bunt to score designated hitter Jack Witmer. The Ospreys battled back in the bottom half of the frame, with Monile scoring on a wild pitch to even the contest.
In the second, the Wolves got an RBI single from Witmer to right field and scored two more on an error by Osprey third baseman Seth Alford. In the fifth, the runs came on a Landon Weidner RBI single through the right side and a double by West Georgia second baseman Tyler Presnell. This ended the night for freshman pitcher Bryson Treichel. He lasted 4.2 innings, giving up 5 earned runs on 10 hits and eight strikeouts.
West Georgia relied on the right-handed arms of Sam Cole and Gavin Mask to hold the Osprey lineup at bay. The duo combined for 8.2 innings pitched, giving up two runs on four walks and five strikeouts.
Game 3
West Georgia carried their momentum into the rubber match, defeating the Ospreys 11-5. West Georgia jumped out to an 11-0 lead through the first six innings on the back of a massive home run by Dierdorf (his 10th home run of the year) in the fifth inning and a grand slam by Landon Wiedner (his third home run of the season) in the sixth.
Jabin Bates collected his third home run of the season in the bottom half of the frame to try and spark an improbable comeback, but ultimately the Ospreys fell short of the mark. Bates finished the afternoon 1-3 with the homerun. Senior first baseman Cade Bush went 2-5 with two singles, continuing his torrid pace against ASUN pitching.
Post-Game Thoughts
After the game, Osprey head coach Joe Mercadante noted how well the Wolves punished mistakes made by his team and how the Ospreys didn’t do enough to respond.
“I think if we could all go back, we’d like to have some of those pitches back,” he said. “…we couldn’t put guys away Saturday and Sunday. And good teams will make you pay for that.”
Mercadante also emphasized the importance of his team having a “short memory” as they prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.
“Certainly adversity has gotten to us these last couple days,” he said. “But the great thing about our sport is that we get to come back on Tuesday night and try to play good baseball, which is always our goal.”
The Ospreys welcome UCF for a Tuesday night matchup at Harmon Stadium on April 8. First pitch is scheduled for 6 pm.
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